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Jetter Question 5gpm???

03-10-2008, 09:50 PM

Been looking at jetters. Asking everybody on the forum and reading all the posts. I'm interested in clearing 3"-4" blockages, grease, roots. Almost all owners and posts state that 5gpm with X pressure is minimum. I say X for pressure because I read conflicting reports. GPM more important than pressure.

So my question is why does Ridgid rate there KJ-3000 @4gpm for up to 8" lines and their RR-3000 to only need 3000 psi with no gpm rating?

Are they accurate? Misleading? Misinformed? Just honestly looking for opinions.

That rating is like the smaller snakes that all the home owners think will do what is says, like 2-4" (not roots but soft blockages) The jetter is for soft blockages, maybe some grease. For instance the electric I have comes with 1/4" for sinks but a whopping 1/2" for other stops. Commercial quality lmfo. K1750 model. So yes gpm but also pressure does matter. 2000 pw at a good gpm like 5 on up is a good beginner machine for 3-4" lines some roots but don't expect miricals it ain't no trailer jetter.

Seattle Drain Service

Comment

Been looking at jetters. Asking everybody on the forum and reading all the posts. I'm interested in clearing 3"-4" blockages, grease, roots. Almost all owners and posts state that 5gpm with X pressure is minimum. I say X for pressure because I read conflicting reports. GPM more important than pressure.

So my question is why does Ridgid rate there KJ-3000 @4gpm for up to 8" lines and their RR-3000 to only need 3000 psi with no gpm rating?

Are they accurate? Misleading? Misinformed? Just honestly looking for opinions.

8'' on this machine is not very feasible. sure it will squirt a 8'' line, but the gpm is not enough to really flush out the line.

anytime you have a reverse c/o that allows you to actually go upstream and pull the debris downstream, you'll do a lot better. but in reality, we seldom get reverse c/o's
i would rate these specs as a good machine for up to 4''.

personally i would get a 16h.p machine or 18h.p.

you would like to reach 5gpm and 3500 psi which should put you at 3000# at the nozzle. remember gas horsepower is only 50%-67% max of an electric motor. gpm is more critical than psi.

hate to send you to another co., but general has a much broader range of jetters.

rick.

phoebe it is

Comment

I have 3700psi @ 3.5gpm. It is excellent at washing roots. When I'm done they look brand spanking new. Only problem is they are still attached to the pipe. It works great on ice and washing the van but thats about it.
When I get my Economic Stimulus Payment I think I'm going to use it as down payment for a trailer jetter.

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Comment

8'' on this machine is not very feasible. sure it will squirt a 8'' line, but the gpm is not enough to really flush out the line.

anytime you have a reverse c/o that allows you to actually go upstream and pull the debris downstream, you'll do a lot better. but in reality, we seldom get reverse c/o's
i would rate these specs as a good machine for up to 4''.

personally i would get a 16h.p machine or 18h.p.

you would like to reach 5gpm and 3500 psi which should put you at 3000# at the nozzle. remember gas horsepower is only 50%-67% max of an electric motor. gpm is more critical than psi.

hate to send you to another co., but general has a much broader range of jetters.

rick.

What does "gas horsepower is only 50%-67% max of an electric motor" mean? Thanks.

Comment

I have 3700psi @ 3.5gpm. It is excellent at washing roots. When I'm done they look brand spanking new. Only problem is they are still attached to the pipe. It works great on ice and washing the van but thats about it.
When I get my Economic Stimulus Payment I think I'm going to use it as down payment for a trailer jetter.

Bingo!

gpm matters, psi just happens as a consequence of orifice size and flow

I run 5-6 gpm machines as that is what most hose bibs will supply and I don't have room in the van with everything else for a supply tank and don't want to lug a trailer. At this gpm in 3-4" you will be happy on everything but roots. If you want to jet roots, you need more than this. Drain medic reports success jetting roots at 5-6 gpm by watching with camera and carefully removing them. I have yet to try to repeat this. At this point, when it is roots it is a cable for me. A 12-20 gpm machine is on the drawing board though; going to build a dedicated grease trap pumper/bigger jetter truck. Waiting for a cheap used pump to come my way, and for the landfill to start the composting program they have been promising so I can get rid of the grease.

In my humble (maybe) opinion, forget what is comercially available for jetters and build your own. AR makes a 6gpm direct drive pump, buy one and bolt it to a honda, then weld a frame under it and buy a warthog. If you don't have the time to deal with that, talk to these people http://www.pressurewasher.net/SCG-R-detail.htm they built me one to my specs and dealt with all my picky idiocy like it was an every day thing.

I am going away from unloaders; you can control psi with rpm/throttle if you are careful to listen and throttle down and not cavitate when you max out your water supply. If you are willing to deal with the hassles involved in more gpm, do it. less than 4gpm is for 2" and smaller. more than 6 and you have supply problems and need a tank.

As to Rick's comment and your question re gas vs. electric hp, for me it is very real. I am at 10,000' elevation, and any nomally aspirated gas engine makes about 60-70% of rated hp here. electric could care less. gas engine hp very rpm dependant as well. just spend a few hundy extra and get one size bigger engine than you are advised you need and you can abuse the poor thing at will without consequence.

This is my reminder to myself that no good will ever come from discussing politics or religion with anyone, ever.

Comment

For what this is worth air cooled gasoline engines are over rated in horse power. Even under perfect lab conditions (You'll never come close in the field) they will not put out 100% of rated power. In the field you're doing well to get 75% out of one and that's really making it grunt hard. The imported models are rated and designed to run faster than what you can run the pump at so they have to slow them down some and there goes power from the engine. If you could see the true power and torque curves that would help us understand the problem.

Here is an example: Engine A is rated at 8 HP at 4000 RPM at sea level and 60 degrees F with X % humidity. Now we all know this isn't happening in real life. In addition the pump would not last an hour if turning at 4000 RPM under load. What happens is that the engine speed is set to more like 3200 RPM and we have to de-rate it based on location and other conditions. In reality you would be hard pressed to get 6.0 HP out of the engine.

Only the older heavy built in the USA cast iron small engines like Wisconsin and some heavy built models by Kohler and Briggs & Stratton (years ago) could put out close to rated power under real life operating conditions.

Try to think of it this way. The Diesel engine in a pickup is rated at XX Horse Power and it's not that big or heavy. The engine in a bulldozer is rated at less power and is huge and weighs over twice as much. The difference is that the pickup engine is rated at the absolute max they can force from it for a few seconds while the engine in the bulldozer can produce rated power for hours, days, weeks.

With that said, electric motors are not all rated in the same manor. We have to check duty cycle and service factors. Think of the keyword HYPE

When it comes to buying a jetter or pressure washer get the most powerful and heavy built machine you can as you can always adjust the regulator to a lower pressure or slow down the engine and have less output. Doing so will add life to the machine.

Comment

I`ve been using this 5.6gal / min @ 4000psi jetter for the last 8 years now

To get rid of tree roots, I`ve got this reverse turbo lance nozzle mounted on a boomerang type metal probe, very effective and has a multiplier ceramic tip inside to give a working pressure of 6000psi.

what i was worried about with this nozzle is the ability to get through a stoppage/ roots, since there is no front nozzle to drill/ cut.

also can it negotiate a turn in 3'' or 4'' pipe?

it will be interesting to see up close at the roundup.

now if it's a straight run, i can adapt a normal 0 degree rotary nozzle to a fiberglass push rod and spray forward to cut the blockage.

i have a 50' set up for water blasting holes under sidewalks and driveways.

the 50' set up is 2'6'' sections of quick connect pipe with a h.p. hose run inside of it to feed a 0 degree nozzle. nozzles are interchangeable to allow for small jetter, holes to bigger holes with the larger jetter.

what i was worried about with this nozzle is the ability to get through a stoppage/ roots, since there is no front nozzle to drill/ cut.

also can it negotiate a turn in 3'' or 4'' pipe?

it will be interesting to see up close at the roundup.

now if it's a straight run, i can adapt a normal 0 degree rotary nozzle to a fiberglass push rod and spray forward to cut the blockage.

i have a 50' set up for water blasting holes under sidewalks and driveways.

the 50' set up is 2'6'' sections of quick connect pipe with a h.p. hose run inside of it to feed a 0 degree nozzle. nozzles are interchangeable to allow for small jetter, holes to bigger holes with the larger jetter.

rick.

Your right, i cant wait to see one of these up close at the roundup. I havent seen one up close or in action yet. Cant wait to compare to the Warthog

Comment

I`ve been using this 5.6gal / min @ 4000psi jetter for the last 8 years now

To get rid of tree roots, I`ve got this reverse turbo lance nozzle mounted on a boomerang type metal probe, very effective and has a multiplier ceramic tip inside to give a working pressure of 6000psi.

Root Ranger.. What sizes are available in that nozzle???

Never give up on your dreams..

dreams are what make us forge ahead.

Comment

About 7 years ago I was working with a company that developed this jet head and still makes them for Ridgid. It was just a stamping in the mould that made it a Ridgid or no name , this one I made up a few months ago, its a little longer than the Ridgid ones, as those short ones tend to get stuck in a 4" pvc cleaning lid very easy. My one is a bit longer and more of a point, and heavier. Their ones are steel tube dipped into a stainless steel molten steel mould and wear quickly on EW terracotta pipe. The next one I make is going to be made out of stainless steel billet and hand shaped with a frontjet I`ll get sized from Stoneage.
Ive just ordered a 3/8" Warthog for this jetter, so will be interested in which does a better job. The reverse turbo is cheap and definately cuts roots with ease, but can get stuck in the drain, whereas the `Hog is for simple simom to use, it spins by itself, no need to work the hose.